Huntsville gazette., 1887-01-15
A BRAVE LADY.
How "Her Royal Highness" Fought
for Her Life.


tween two savage, untamed beasts. l
have witnessed bull fights in Mexico,
and seen a python crush the life out of
a calf in South America, but never
gaZed on more thrilling episode than
on one hot Algerian night at a water
pool about two hundred miles in the in
terror. Beside the pool were several
trees of fair size, in the punches of
one of which had been placed small
platform hidden among the clustered
leaves, from which hiding place it was
convenient to shoot any animals that
might come to the pool to drink during
the night. Thither repaired one even
ing soon after sundown, Maccovoy and
myself, accompanied by his Arab SER
want, young man named Asilla. who
bore our spare guns and acted as gen
eral factotum to us both on expeditions
of this nature. 1t is difficult for me, in
my cooler moments, to climb tree,
and the smooth, straight stem proved
extremely troublesome to swarm. How
ever, with the help of Mac and Asilla, l
managed it and secured a comfortable
perch. They followed with great ia
cility, being both slight, active men,
and at once made the guns ready.
The moon rose gradually, and had a
good opportunity to study perfect 81
lence. Nothing can be more deeply
silent than a still night in the desert.
As there is little or no vegetation in
these vast oceans of sand, there is no
insect life, and for several hours after
the moon rose absolute silence reigned.
We did not speak. There was no
wind. 1t seemed as if there was
nc living thing in that wide
spread expanse Of country. |
was beginning to feel sleepy and nod
frequently, when prolonged roar
sounded close at hand. In an instant
we were wide awake and grasped our
guns nervously. At the next instant
the roar was answered from a location
Immediately beneath us. On looking
down we saw a lioness, lying on her
belly, her head between her paws, and
her long tail waving luxuriously to and
fro She looked like huge cat enjoy
ing some pleasurable sensation. Almost
instantly a third ''woof! woof?'
sounded at our backs. ''Gad, Doc!"
breathed Mac, 1--WE are in for bag to-
night" and a moment later two mag
niticent males stepped slowly and ma
jestically into view. The female con-
tinued to purr and wave her tail gently.
%la t.I
other they prepared for action. Slowly
and carefully they neared each other,
the lioness meanwhile watching them
as a cat does mouse. Closer and
closer they drew, whilewe, spellbound.
reserved our fire to witness the terri
bic duel that was impending.
And now they crouch and with mu-
tual roars of rage spring at each other,
and, meeting, in midleap, fall, biting
and tearing, to the earth. We can
hear their bones crush between their
powerful jaws like egg-shels beneath a
mans boot-heel. The liOness, main
tanning her tranquil attitude, watched
the conflict, as it seemed to my excited
ewes, with devilish smile on her face.
Over and over they rolled, while the
sickening sound of champing bones
filled the air, mingled with their fran
tic roaring and the movement OF their
bodies as they thrashed through the
whirling sand BY this time my nerves
were so wrought up that could stand
the terrific spectacle no longer,
and, taking deliberate aim at
the Honess, behind her shoulder
blade, / let fly. Above the rumble OF
the smooth-bore sounded the shrek OF
the lioness as the heavy ball crashed
into her vitals. The two duelists at
once ceased their encounter. and as one
of them turned he received Maccovoy's
rifle bullet in the head, the missile
piercing the hollow over the eye, where
the skull is weak, and entering the
brain; death was almost instantaneous.
The other male with a laundering
'.woof!' gave a mighty spring and
landed helf way up the tree trunk,
nearly sNeS;nc - from our perch.
Asilla has, EAarged one of the
spare guns, slap-bang into his face, but
probably the charge only grazed him,
for falling back he disappeared into
the darkness toward where the means
and cries of the lioness grew fainter
and fainter every moment.
The moon being on the wane, after
all sounds had ceased we returned to
camp, with many promises to each
other to take up the spoor OF our
wounded enemies IN the morning and
track them to their death. According
" at daybleak, with party Of fifty
Arab heaters we returned to the
..stand" and were soon on the spoor OF